On the Incarnation

ATHANASIUS, Bishop of Alexandria and one of themost illustrious defenders of the Christian faith, wasborn at Alexandria about the year 297. Before theoutbreak of the Arian controversy, which beganin 319, Athanasius had made himself known asthe author of two essays addressed to a convertfrom heathenism, one of them entitled Againstthe Gentiles, and the other On the Incarnation ofthe Word. Both are of the nature of apologeticaltreatises, arguing such questions as monotheism,and the necessity of divine interposition for thesalvation of the world; and already in the secondmay be traced that tone of thought respecting theessential divinity of Christ as the "God-man" forwhich he afterwards became conspicuous.